On 28 March it is the 60th anniversary of the discovery of Epstein-Barr virus, the most common viral infection in humans. The virus was first discovered in association with a rare type of cancer located in Africa, but is now understood to be implicated in 1% of cancers, as well as the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, among others. Ian Sample meets Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at Warwick Medical School, to hear the story of this virus, and how understanding it might help us prevent and treat cancer and other illnesses.
Read an obituary of Sir Anthony Epstein, who died in February 2024
About Author
More Stories
Male mosquitoes to be genetically engineered to poison females with semen in Australian research
The deadliest beings on the planet: can the bacteriophage help in our fight against superbugs?
Memo to Trump: US telecoms is vulnerable to hackers. Please hang up and try again | John Naughton